BATON ROUGE -- As four LSU players gathered around the batting cage before practice began Wednesday, a key to their future lay like a dinosaur bone in the green turf behind them -- a wooden bat.

The four players taking additional whacks are all hitting better than .300, two of them have slugging averages of .590 or higher. The two leading baserunners on the team were there.

Although not one of the four -- designated hitter Blake Dean, infielder DJ LeMahieu, outfielder Jared Mitchell and do-everything Ryan Schimpf -- is a senior, not one of them may be there much longer.

All of them are expected to be playing professional baseball at some level next year. That means the upcoming NCAA Tournament likely will be their last aluminum-bat hurrah, a chance to return to the College World Series in Omaha, and this time, hoist the ultimate prize.

"It's always been my goal to play pro ball, " LeMahieu said. "So I guess it really just depends on the draft. I love being here -- the fans are great, my teammates are great. You couldn't be in a better situation. But it's always been my goal to play pro ball, so I have to weigh that, too."

This team has captured a Southeastern Conference regular-season crown, back-to-back SEC tournament titles, and is once again hosting a regional. Does the understanding it may be breaking up give it an edge? Do the Tigers (46-16), the No. 1 seed in the regional and No. 3 overall, have more determination knowing the 2009 lineup won't be the 2010 lineup?

"We've got a great team here, and next year we're going to have a completely different team. So I think we've got to embrace the moment, " LeMahieu said.

The change in the air also includes seniors -- any college team with senior Louis Coleman on the pitching staff is better than a team without. But the four hitters have been LSU's everyday producers in 2009.

Dean, a junior, started slowly after a big 2008 season. But he enters the NCAA Tournament hitting the best he has all season. In the SEC championship, he had three RBIs and was on the all-tournament team. He is hitting .327 with 14 home runs, and his 62 RBIs lead the team.

"There's a possibility you might be gone, but at the same time you never know what might happen, " Dean said.

Like LeMahieu, he noted draft order will determine his choice, not the fact he's certain to get drafted.

And, like LeMahieu, Dean said he is in no hurry to finish his college days.

"I think coming here instead of some other school was probably the best decision I ever made, " he said. "But obviously there's the thought this could be your last one, so you want to go out there and give it your best."

Mitchell, a junior, slumped a bit down the stretch, particularly against left-handed pitching. But he delivered a two-out, two-run single off a lefty in an elimination game last Saturday and is still hitting .326. He has stolen 30 bases in 37 attempts.

Both LeMahieu, a sophomore, and Schimpf, a junior, have proved themselves with wooden bats in 2008 summer leagues. The one glowing in the afternoon sunshine Wednesday belonged to Schimpf, who leads the team in home runs and slugging percentage and ranks second in stolen bases. He has started at three positions.

After LSU won the SEC Tournament on Sunday in dramatic fashion, coming out of the loser's bracket to win five in a row, Coach Paul Mainieri spoke about having a program, rather than a good team. He reiterated that position Wednesday, saying his goal is to field a competitive, talented squad annually, rather than a group of all-stars one season and untested freshmen the next.

On the other hand, he acknowledged special feelings for this team, one of the best he has had in his three years in Baton Rouge.

"Every year in college baseball there's going to be turnover, " he said. "But you've got to keep a core together, and the core that's been here the last three years probably won't be here next year.

"All those kids who've been with me for three years, we've grown together, and we have a special relationship because we came here, generally, at the same time, " he added. "And we know this is probably going to be our last time together, all of us, and you know, sure, I think that's a little bit of motivation. We got a little taste of it last year. But at this point, I think all these kids are really determined to do something really significant.

"I think we've got a team that can compete for the national championship; that doesn't mean we're going to win it. You've got to be good at the right time, and you've got to have some luck, too."

James Varney can be reached at jvarney@timespicayune.com or at 504.717.1156.